The seminar is held by the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP) in Hanoi on January 4 to discuss COVID-19 response policies adopted by the Government last year. (Photo: MPI) Held in Hanoi on January 4, the seminar saw speakers analyzingand evaluating policies adopted by the government last year that have broughtabout strategic changes to national COVID-19 response, and discussing outlookfor 2022 and the following years.
Response strategies introduced by the Government have provedrelevant and effective throughout the four waves of the pandemic in 2020 and2021, Phuong said, emphaising that Resolution 128 was a game changer in the wayVietnam fights COVID-19 and revitalizes the economy.
It was something people yearning for after lengthy socialdistancing period, he noted, adding that thanks to the release of theresolution, Vietnam enjoyed positive economic growth in 2021.
Echoing Phuong’s view, Deputy Minister of Foreign AffairsNguyen Minh Vu said Resolution 128 reflects a shift in Vietnam’s COVID-19 fightstrategy which has also been widely adopted by many countries worldwide. Mostcountries now accept “living with the virus,” combating COVID-19 anddeveloping the economy at the same time, he explained.
Phuong further highlighted the positive influence ofResolution 128 on Vietnam’s economic recovery, saying that because of theresolution, GDP growth bounced back to 5.22 percent in the final quarter of2021 after shrinking over 6 percent in the previous quarter.
“If we have a good and effective virus control model, allsocial and economic activities and people’s daily life will be able to resumeimmediately, even strongly,” he stated.
Last year, Vietnam was severely hit by the fourth wave ofCOVID-19 which started in late April, leaving nearly 1.7 million peopleinfected and over 31,000 dead. The worst-ever COVID-19 resurgence took heavytoll on the country’s economy, pulling down GDP growth in 2021 to 2.58 percent,the lowest in a decade./.
VNA
